K1 CASE LOST BETWEEN USCIS and NVC

[Gregory&Dyn 113]

What a mess! Seriously. Could things get any worse right now?

• I-129F reached USCIS in early April 2016.
• I-797 / NOA2 Approval on 07 July 2016.
• Post Decision Activity email implying case was sent to NVC arrived on 14 July 2016.

Six weeks later NVC still hasn't received our case. No updates. No concern on their behalf. What can we do? Why on earth does it take six long weeks to send a simple package from California to New Hampshire? Nearly all of my fellow April I-129F K1 filers from the Philippines have cleared the NVC stage, scheduled interviews and are in the process of of getting their visas. We feel so left behind. Please help. Its depressing, frustrating, and heart breaking. USCIS and NVC have offered no solid advice or guidance on what to do other than continue waiting.

• Has anybody else experienced a similar situation, and if so, what was the resolution?
• Can someone offer some solid guidance and direction on how USCIS => NVC process works?
• What can we do, if anything?

Edited August 19, 2016 by Gregory&Dyn

[Scandi 4,171]

There are TONS of people who have experienced the same, search the NVC subforum.

This isn't an NVC issue - this is a USCIS issue (liks 90% of all other issues in this process). People's cases are stuck at USCIS after approval, they simply take forever to send them and no one really knows why.

[Scandi 4,171]

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/602170-nvc/

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/606409-69-days-since-noa2-k1-nvc-does-not-have-my-petition/

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/601527-nvc-has-not-yet-received-my-approved-i-129f/

[Gregory&Dyn 113]

There are TONS of people who have experienced the same, search the NVC subforum.

This isn't an NVC issue - this is a USCIS issue (liks 90% of all other issues in this process). People's cases are stuck at USCIS after approval, they simply take forever to send them and no one really knows why.

Somebody must know why. I fail to see how the logistics work in their process. Several others with identical approval dates for the same type of visa and for the same country reached and cleared the NVC stage in a matter of two to three weeks while ours seemingly vanished.

What is your status? Any updates?

[Pitaya 2,577]

~Moved from K1 Process to K1 Progress Forum~

~Inquiry about case status~

Edited August 19, 2016 by Pitaya

[Gregory&Dyn 113]

Called USCIS Customer Service today who told me that the six week wait is only a guideline, and I must now wait a full ninety days before any investigation can begin to locate a potential missing case. Are you kidding me? Why does it take USCIS three full months to send an approved petition??? I kindly requested a Tier II Supervisor who has the ability to track the case's movements and last known location. I was told that a Tier II Supervisor wasn't available to take my call. What a joke this has turned into. Nobody knows anything, and worse yet, nobody seems to care.

[Russ&Caro 1,549]

I think the title of your post is somewhat deceiving. I seriously doubt your case has been lost. It's much more likely to be sitting on someone's desk awaiting action.

Many members here at VJ have experienced the same slow walk from USCIS to NVC.

Your approach is correct. Keep calling them and requesting Tier2 supervisors. Eventually your case will get there. There are many ways cases get delayed that have nothing to do with the merits of the case. For example, in June of 2015, a key machine and network for printing visas went down. Printing of all visas were delayed for up to 4 to 6 weeks. No explanations were given why a backup system or repair of production system couldn't be fixed sooner. We were all just told to be patient and wait.

VJ is also a good place to rant, and your rant is entirely appropriate. Hope your case moves soon.

[NikLR 13,228]

It can take up to 90 days for an approved I-129F to be sent to the NVC. Sometimes the USCIS sends them in big batches vs as they're approved. This is not the first time this has happened and a bunch of posts made about it, nor the last time it will happen.

I agree that it sucks, is silly, and is hard on everyone who's stuck waiting.

[Dutchster 1,107]

Agreed with the statements above. The title is deceiving, your case is highly unlikely lost. Since a couple of months, the USCIS transit to NVC can take up to 6+ weeks instead of the 'normal' 2-4 weeks. Most of the time it's the USCIS who takes longer than they say to transit it to the national visa center.

I know it's a long wait but you're almost there. Hold on. I've known the feeling of feeling left out. People from February going faster than me in any stage of this K1 process but always remember that not every case is the same and they sometimes work in batches, like one of the fellow members here mentioned.

Edited August 20, 2016 by stephadams

[usmsbow 802]

Welcome to the club. It sucks, but it will end at some point. For my now-wife and I, it took over 4 months to get from CSC to NVC. I am sure it is USCIS to blame. It happened to at least a dozen of us on VJ at the time (Sept 2014-January 2015).

Contact your congress people. Once it reaches a certain point (I forget the timing thankfully), you can contact the USCIS omsbudsman and they'll be pretty responsive.

Edited August 20, 2016 by usmsbow

[Gregory&Dyn 113]

The title wasn't intended to be misleading. Truth is, if I don't know where our petition is, and USCIS and NVC can't confirm where it is, it's lost. Kind of like your car keys or sunglasses, you know they are somewhere in the house. You had them when you walked inside, and now they are nowhere to be found. L.O.S.T.

This is a long running theme on VJ, and the answers / responses generally remain the same. I opened this thread as a means of venting. In doing so, I was hoping that something concrete would be shared that would finally set the record straight for all of those who have gone before me, and for those who follow.

The generic and canned responses from USCIS and NVC operators are just that, they are nothing more than regurgitated quotes taken from page three of the Good Employee Handbook. What I want is a solid and definitive answer on what happens. I can't accept that some petitions are approved and sent right away while others remain left behind for months at a time with no explanation.

I am a Senior Consultant for the Department of Defense at the Pentagon in Washington DC. Nobody knows the red tape and ill-directed bureaucracy of the U.S. government better than I do. I witness it everyday. Hell, its likely that I even (indirectly) contribute to it on occasion. Even so, there is a standard of accountability within my organization that keeps our toes on (or relatively close to) the line. Should any organization in the Department of Homeland Security and the State Department operate differently? While the answer to that is, no; the real response is, it IS different. The contractors and operators at USCIS / NVC that handle our cases do so with an apparent disregard. We are pieces of paper. We are numbers We are barely names without faces. We are shuffled, tossed, torn and spilled upon. We sit in desk drawers for weeks at a time. We are dog-eared and faded patrons resting weary on dark, dusty shelves. We are a burden to those who carry us. It shouldn't be that way.

After decades, and millions of applications funneling through the system, there has to be a more efficient way of handling and tracking cases. We are a paperless society, and yet, USCIS resorts to such a primitive way of organizing and processing. There appears to be no standard operating procedure. Cases are handled randomly and out-of-order. Similar petitions are approved by some, and rejected by others. Some applications sneak through and are processed in record time while others just sit and sit. I can't change the system. I can't fix what's broken. Sheesh, I can't even resolve my own issues right now. Even so, I hope that somebody / anybody with a strong working knowledge of the system would step forward and shed some light.

Rant over. Done. Complete. Finished. Kaput.

[Scandi 4,171]

It's like I've always said - USCIS is like a lottery. Some get lucky, some not. There's not even any method in the madness.

Just consider yourself lucky if they don't deny you, even if it means you have to wait for a year or even longer. You're still lucky if this is the only issue you've had with USCIS this far. Even I am lucky despite it taking 6 months to even get the NOA2 - some are way worse off.

[JeanLovesTracy 10]

To add to Gregs' rant, why is it we use tracking numbers with private courriers and the USPS for that matter, but something as important as what we are all living its all so random with no way to track where your file is sitting. I think both the USCIS and the NVC would need far less people sitting at call centers if the petitioners could track there application ala AMAZON. Thinking about those that come after us. Honestly before I met my fiancé i gave little to no thought about how legal permanent residents get or stay here.

[Dutchster 1,107]

Truth is, if I don't know where our petition is, and USCIS and NVC can't confirm where it is, it's lost

The truth is, USCIS nor NVC won't give you any information through the telephone.

[Frustrated! 0]

Sheer frustrations have compelled me chime in on this topic. Greg, I am in the same situation that you are in. I129F (NOA2) was approved on 7/08/2016 and still no case from NVC. All inquiries to USCIS and NVC are met with canned responses...utterly useless. Emailed NVCResearch and still no response after 2 weeks, which is to be expected (sadly). Just enlisted the help of my congressman in hopes of getting some answers (crossing my fingers). At this point, I'm hoping that my file is backlogged somewhere, but hey, let's just assume the worse and that it somehow vanished. I'll be a good citizen and just proactively reconstruct my I129F petition right now!

Ok, enough of the rant (sighs). Those of you who are experiencing the same thing as Greg and I, I assure you we share the same frustrations. My fiancee is expecting our first born in April 2017...I really hope the government of the greatest country in the world doesn't let me down.